THE SONG DOG

What to do with South African detective Tromp Kramer and his Bantu sidekick Mickey Zondi (The Steam Pig, The Artful Egg, etc.) now that apartheid's stranglehold is loosening? McClure takes us back to 1962 for their first meeting--a great moment, lovingly prepared--as Kramer investigates the bombing murders of backwoods detective Maaties Kritzinger and his inamorata Annika Cloete, whose parents have been killed in a recent suspicious accident. Zondi turns out to be on the trail of the rapist-killer of three white nuns; guess whether it'll be the same person. As usual, McClure provides enough florid alarums and excursions (including a visit to the titular spirit) for an anthology of short stories; but the main mystery is clear enough in outline, even if a few vital clues are suppressed. And the rich, oppressive South African atmosphere is as memorably tangy as ever.